| The ancient city of Petra was built from 800 BC | | | | move, do NOT step onto the letter 'J' because in |
| to 100 AD by the Nabetean Arabs. In this era | | | | Greek the name of God starts with an 'I' and at |
| Petra was a fortress, carved out of craggy rocks | | | | last step into nothing (there should be a secret |
| in an area which was virtually inaccessible. In the | | | | bridge). It's needless to say the real interior is a |
| first and second century, after the Romans took | | | | little disappointing. |
| over, the city reached the peak of its fame. | | | | If you stand with your back to the Khazneh, you |
| When caravan routes were slowly displaced by | | | | can see the entrance to the Siq and souvenir |
| shipping, the city's importance gradually dwindled; it | | | | stands selling postcards, sand bottles, 'keffiyehs', |
| fell into disuse and was lost to the world until | | | | softdrinks (no matter what flavour always called |
| 1812, when it was re-discovered by the Swiss | | | | Pepsi), jewelry and much more. |
| explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt. Nowadays | | | | But ... if you walk a little further it gets quiet until |
| Petra is Jordan's number 1 tourist attraction, | | | | at a certain point you realize you're alone. |
| known as the "rose red city half as old as time". | | | | Petra covers an area of about 100 square km, |
| The entrance to Petra leads through the Siq, a | | | | where over 800 monuments can be found. |
| gorge about 2 kms long. At some points the path | | | | Conclusion: a visit of 1 day is not enough. Better |
| is only 5 meters wide, with walls 200 meters high. | | | | plan 2 or 3 days. |
| At the end the spectacular sight of the Khazneh | | | | The largest of the temples in Petra is ed Deir, the |
| awaits you, if at least the view isn't blocked by | | | | Monastery. It measures 60 by 45 meters. This |
| tourist taking pictures. | | | | enormous size becomes clear when you compare |
| The Khazneh (the treasury) starred in Indiana | | | | the size of the doorway with the people standing |
| Jones and the Last Crusade. We practiced the | | | | in it. |
| right way to get inside: duck when the spiderwebs | | | | |